Government can take action against parents who neglect their children's health - Hannah

Hannah Yeoh

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 (Bernama) -- There are provisions in the Child Act 2001 that enable the government to take action against parents who neglect their children, said Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Hannah Yeoh.

She said there was a rising number of cases involving the death of children especially those who were not vaccinated and did not get the necessary immunisation, and parents were responsible for taking such precaution.

"We need to start looking into taking action against parents who do not want to vaccinate their children. We not only care about the health of their children, but also the well-being of other children.

“The doctors have highlighted that there are provisions in the Child Act if there is a neglect.. and this is a clear sign because there are death cases and what are we waiting for?” she told reporters after officiating the Sunway Putra Mall Autsome Project here, today.

According to Section 31(1)(a) Child Act 2001, any person who has in his or her care a child that is being neglected, abandoned or exposed the child in a manner likely to cause him/her physical or emotional injury can be fined not exceeding RM20,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or both.

Yeoh also called on parents who had yet to vaccinate their children to come forward and to ensure that they were given immunisation according to the schedule set by the Health Ministry.

On Feb 23, a 25-month old boy died in Johor believed to have been due to diphtheria infection and was never given any immunisation.

Five children, believed to have been in contact with the boy are in quarantine at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital after they tested positive for the disease.

In another development, Yeoh said a new standard operating procedure (SOP) for the police and front liners of government sector when handling cases involving persons with disabilities including autism, would be launched in April this year.

She said the new SOP was in response to the case on Sept 11 last year, where an autistic man was detained and has been investigated regarding a molest case.

"My ministry together with the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) and several NGOs are currently gathering information and feedback and will be conducting a workshop to complete the SOP on handling persons with autism as a guideline for them,” she said.

-- BERNAMA